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Sunday, May 28, 2023
|As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline made global headlines and led some of the most important and dramatic Congressional hearings taking on big tech.
It was David v. Big Tech.
The Congressman was the author of a 450-page report in 2020 that unveiled that the actions of the biggest tech corporations “exploited their power of the marketplace in anticompetitive ways.”
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Cicilline was strong in his subcommittee’s pronouncements about the abuses by Apple, Amazon, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and Facebook.
He was critical of Facebook’s ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp — the Cicilline report states, ”Facebook has monopoly power in the market for social networking. According to internal documents produced by Facebook to the Committee, it has high reach, time-spent, and significantly more users than its rivals in this market. Despite significant changes in the market—such as the advent of mobile devices, applications, and operating systems—Facebook has held an unassailable position in the social network market for nearly a decade, demonstrating its monopoly power.”
The report was chock-full of examples of anti-competitive behavior.
Cicilline’s committee’s report stated, “By controlling the infrastructure of the digital age, they have surveilled other businesses to identify potential rivals, and have ultimately bought out, copied, or cut off their competitive threats. And, finally, these firms have abused their role as intermediaries to further entrench and expand their dominance. Whether through self-preferencing, predatory pricing, or exclusionary conduct, the dominant platforms have exploited their power in order to become even more dominant.”
The impact of social media is now being understood. While there is no better way to connect for a birthday, it is clear there are serious dangers.
It is apparent that China is using TikTok to collect the individual data of Americans, and that social media is wreaking significant havoc — and damage — on America’s children.
This week, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in a 19-page advisory, wrote, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
As the Biden campaign has swallowed up donations from the tech firms like a supercharged Hoover vacuum, Cicilline simply may not have had the guts and the will for the long-term fight.
GoLocal, in a 2020 editorial, asked the question, “So which will it be, Congressman — Trust Buster or Democratic Lackey?”
We now know that for Cicilline, the fight was not worth the effort.
Cicilline announced in February that he is quitting his seat in Congress to take over the position as the head of the Rhode Island Foundation and collect a salary of $650,000 for the group dedicated to supporting those in need. He begins at the charity on June 1.
Tech wins again.
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A Rhode Island man is facing charges after allegedly body slamming an Attleboro mother of two during a suspected road rage incident Friday, according to court records.
Police responded near Newport Avenue at Highland Avenue in Attleboro just before 9 a.m. on Friday, where they found Hailea Soare on the ground, bleeding and crying, according to a police report filed in Attleboro District Court.
Gladior Kwesiah, of Pawtucket, was arrested without incident and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, vandalism of property, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, according to court dockets.
Multiple witnesses told police that Kwesiah and Soares were arguing outside their cars after her vehicle allegedly rear-ended his vehicle at the intersection, according to the report.
All three witnesses allege that Kwesiah, 26, “body slammed” her onto the pavement, while two told police that he also stepped on her glasses that fell to the ground. One witness said that Soares “smacked” Kwesiah before he picked her up, lifted her over his head, and dropped her on her head, according to police.
The body slam can be seen in videos shared by local news stations. The police report notes that Soares is 5 feet tall and 120 pounds, while Kwesiah is 6 foot 3 inches and more than 300 pounds.
Soares was transported to Study Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for a fractured knee, fractured foot, and head laceration, according to police.
She also suffered damage to her eye socket and “a serious skull injury,” a GoFundMe started by her family said. The fundraiser has collected more than $18,000 from nearly 500 donors out of its $30,000 goal, as of Sunday evening.
“As a single mother of two young children, Hailea now faces an uphill battle – physically, emotionally, and financially,” the GoFundMe said. “These injuries will keep her out of work for months. The financial strain of medical bills, therapy costs, and providing for her children is overwhelming.”
Kwesiah was held in the Bristol County House of Correction after not posting bail on Friday.
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A man who stole an unoccupied cruiser in Rhode Island was stopped on Route 2 in Preston after a chase early Saturday morning, according to Connecticut State Police.
Connecticut State Police was notified about a stolen Providence, Rhode Island, police cruiser on Interstate 95 South crossing into Connecticut from Rhode Island around 2:30 a.m.
The stolen cruiser was reportedly seen on I-95 south near exit 89, but then took the exit 88 off ramp to Route 117 in Groton as it saw another Connecticut State Police cruiser approaching.
Multiple Connecticut State Police cruisers turned on their emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the stolen cruiser. According to Connecticut State Police, the stolen cruiser was traveling over 100 mph at times on Route 117.
Ledyard Police Department was then notified and deployed stop sticks near Route 117 and Route 2a. The stolen cruiser slowed to a stop near Route 2a and the driver was taken into custody.
The 27-year-old man from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is facing charges including reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, failure to drive in the proper lane, larceny and interfering with officer/resisting. He was not able to post the $50,000 bond and is due in court on Monday.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 4, 2025, results for each game:
26-32-43-54-56, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
03-09-27-29-33, Lucky Ball: 06
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 5-8-4-4
Evening: 1-2-7-5
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
13-16-19-23-33, Extra: 30
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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